The 5 next big things in computing, chips, and foundational technology for 2025

The companies that create the foundational technologies that enable other companies’ progress are embracing AI, of course. But that’s only part of the story. These honorees made big progress in 2025 on quantum computing, battery science, and other fronts.

AIStorm
For giving sensors the power of neural networks 
AIStorm’s technology pushes AI to the edge of computing experiences by allowing sensors to run neural networks—a feat with applications everywhere from consumer electronics to factory-floor robotics. The company has a deal with Audioscenic to put latency-free, position-adaptive 3D sound in laptops, monitors, and soundbars starting in 2026.

Aledia
For charting a bright future for AR glasses
For AR glasses to have a shot at catching on, they need display technology that’s compact, power-efficient, and capable of rendering bright imagery. Aledia’s 3D nanowire microLEDs emit red, green, and blue light from a single chip—a key to achieving those goals. To ensure scalable quality control, the company has invested $200 million in its own manufacturing line in Grenoble, France.

Classiq
For helping experts harness quantum computing’s advances
As quantum computing’s potential to blaze through algorithms that classical computers can’t tackle at all edges toward reality, it’s time to think about implementing specific applications in a range of domains. Domain experts at companies such as BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Deloitte use Classiq’s Qmod functional modeling language to design programs. Deep knowledge of quantum computing is not required. And the results run on cloud platforms from Amazon, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.   

D-Wave
For showing what quantum computing can do right now
The future of quantum computers is all about getting the technology out of the lab and into the real world. Available both as a cloud service and in an on-premises form, D-Wave’s sixth-generation Advantage2 computer packs more than 4,400 qubits, the building blocks of quantum computing’s unprecedented capabilities. Customers such as defense contractor Davidson Technologies are already using the Advantage2, whose “annealing” technology sets it apart from the more common gate-based designs used by other quantum computer manufacturers. In March, D-Wave reported that the Advantage2 performed a calculation job that would have taken the U.S. Department of Energy’s Frontier supercomputer almost a million years to complete.

Enovix
For building a battery for the AI era
Thanks in part to AI, devices such as smartphones, headsets, and smart glasses are rapidly evolving. But most are still dependent on lithium-ion batteries, a technology that long ago plateaued—and, under certain circumstance, can be dangerous. Enovix’s fully active silicon anode batteries house strips of silicon in a steel container, overcoming the risk of swelling and damage that’s inherent to lithium-ion battery design. The company, whose next-generation EX-2M battery offers 22% more energy density than lithium-ion, says it has agreements with large manufacturers of smartphones, mixed-reality headsets, and IoT products to adopt its batteries in upcoming devices.  

The companies and individuals behind these technologies are among the honorees in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards for 2025. Read more about the winners across all categories and the methodology behind the selection process.

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